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Video - Splash Mtn finale Jan 22 (all animatronics broken)
- Thread starter KevinYee
- Start date
WDWFigment
Well-Known Member
Are we going to have a catfight to the death among our legal eagles here?
I would pay to see that!:drevil:
Have I mentioned that I absolutely worship WDW execs compared to lawyers?
You'd probably like lawyers even less if you got to know some professionally. I'm not the biggest fan of them, either. At least most of them.
So your comments and jokes (although the word "jokes" implies that you're kidding...) doesn't really faze me.
Ah, but you and the Mrs are part of the Disney Lifestyle crowd that isn't afraid to actually leave the WDW MAGICal Arches of Pixie Dust and see things elsewhere. Who knows, you may actually visit non-Disney-BRANDED locales one day.
We travel to non-Disney-branded places all the time. We live in Indianapolis, but probably spend over 50% of our weekends elsewhere. However, it doesn't seem germane to discuss on a Disney forum how I accidentally ended up in some goth bar in New Orleans (got the f^*& out of Dodge as soon as I saw a guy with horn implants and blood red eyes!), went to some modern art festival in Chicago, or climbed a rickety old fire tower while camping at some random state park.
Curiously enough, I typically don't scrutinize much while we're on our trips. It's not until we get back and I start reflecting upon things that I get 'frustrated' by this or that. While we're actually there, I have an excellent time and only focus on the positive.
And in the grand scheme of things, I still think Walt Disney World is a great place to visit.
That said, as I've mentioned previously, we're enjoying Disneyland more and more. I don't make excuses not to go to Disneyland like many others (I find it asinine to not go because it's more expensive--it's not), but we're still going to WDW more at this point because it has a greater variety of experiences.
Since Trader Sam's opened and with Cars Land and (more importantly) Buena Vista Street soon to be open, I don't know if that 'more for us to do at WDW' logic will continue to hold true.
It's funny...that last thing is something that bothers me. I mean, I don't cry about it, but I'll readily admit that I don't like how the real world encroaches upon Disneyland. I guess I like the element of escapism. :shrug:
I will say though that DLR isn't, contrary to your (and popular) opinion, trying to price people out of APs. It's a great Al Lutz tale that has taken on a life of its own. But Georgie K would like nothing better than to grow the AP ranks by tens of thousands more (REALLY!) ... he just wishes to do so at higher price points that TDA will justify with all the new fresh products and by the fact California residents can do the monthly payment deal, which does make a difference for many.
Look for the $499 PAP to jump to $549-589 (they have gone back and forth on how much of a bump DCA 2.0 should cause on the AP price points) this summer. By late 2013, a PAP for DL (which should have a few more perks tossed in) will be bumping close to the $700 level.
~It's dark in the closet!~
Interesting. I don't doubt you on this. I will say that if I were running the place, I'd be chasing off some AP-holders or trying to figure out a better way to manage them in certain cases.
Many times, their park touring habits are diametrically opposed to tourists. For example, many AP-holders have no problem showing up right after work and camping out for 3 hours with their iPad while they wait for Fantasmic! or RDCT. The value of the average tourist's time is such that they won't do the same, nor should Disney want them to do that, because then they're sitting in one spot and not visiting gift $hops.
Completely off-topic, but it boggles my mind that even locals are willing to wait in this type of line. This is especially true at Walt Disney World with things like Candlelight Processional where locals could pay a premium for the dining package (I'm sure you're not a fan, but go with me here...) to avoid standing in line. We were there one of the days Neil Patrick Harris was there, and we saw people in line at 1pm. Some of these people in the standby line didn't get into the first show (probably not the ones who arrived right at one, but I wasn't closely monitoring things); on top of that, it poured. Everyone values their time differently, but there's no way on earth I'd stand in a line for four plus hours doing nothing when I could pay $35 to avoid the line. (And that's assuming I get NO meal!)
I likely wouldn't pay for the dinner package in the first place (we received our seats from a D23 event), but if my options were paying for the dinner package or waiting 4 hours in line, I would choose paying for the dinner package every single time.
MAF
Well-Known Member
Weren't you planning on becoming a lawyer back in the day and went to law school? Maybe I'm misremembering my posters though.
NoChesterHester
Well-Known Member
Prototype82
Well-Known Member
Disney repaints everything...but when it comes to effects maintenance, it has been really sad. Will they let the same happen to Under the Sea?
NoChesterHester
Well-Known Member
Until things change, why would we think otherwise?
lebeau
Well-Known Member
I have been trying to get out to DL for a while now. We're planning a Disney trip for the fall. I started pricing both DL and WDW. Long story short, airfare to DL puts it out of reach for us. Maybe prices will come down to within our budget between now and then. But for now, it's a deal breaker even with the savings of being able to get a room off property.
Some people may be making excuses not to go. But some of us really want to go and price really is the deciding factor.
NoChesterHester
Well-Known Member
Before everyone jumps on this, we suffer a similar predicament. We are within driving distance of Orlando. To go to California requires a plane flight.
That changes the ability of visiting DLR like we can to Orlando.
WDWFigment
Well-Known Member
Fair point. I suppose that would really would alter the comparison.
Additionally, there are also only two of us, so that changes the math a bit, too. Airfare is slightly more expensive for us, but we save on hotel to offset this. The more people you add, the greater the gap becomes due to airfare.
We spend more at DLR on food, but we could easily spend much less by eating at one of the many restaurants 5 minutes from the Esplanade on Harbor.
I believe tickets, generally, are cheaper at Disneyland. Not completely sure on this one, though. We hold separate APs to WDW and DLR, and I know the DLR one is a lot cheaper, even after the larger DVC discount on the WDW AP. We also only have a Deluxe DLR AP, though.
At the very least, unless you live in the state of Florida, I'd hazard a guess that a trip to Disneyland would cost less than the combined cost of two trips to Walt Disney World. Foregoing two trips might be tough, but for anyone who cares about Disney enough to be registered on a Disney theme park forum, it's worth it.
Since were slightly OT now, we did manage to go to DL and WDW on one trip. ROE one night, Magical the next. Briefly since I've mentioned this before but even being learned in the ways of the Mouse, I found DLs maintainence was head and shoulders above WDW. As were food options etc.
Ive gone so far as to say to friends that if it were as cheap, USF IOA were there, and all my friends were too then DL would be a more appealing option than WDW.
And that's me speaking.
Ive gone so far as to say to friends that if it were as cheap, USF IOA were there, and all my friends were too then DL would be a more appealing option than WDW.
And that's me speaking.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Yeah, especially after this June when the two new lands open at DCA, one good trip to Disneyland Resort (with hopefully a few extra days to take in the wonders of SoCal) would be worth two trips to WDW for any true Walt Disney theme park fan.
TDO should be ashamed of themselves for not keeping up and creating the current situation, as the blame for that lies strictly with TDO. All Disneyland Resort has done is live up to the standards Walt set for the place originally; they aren't really doing anything unusual at Disneyland or playing by a different set of rules than TDO is supposed to play by.
As for ticket prices, I also remember paying more for tickets at WDW, although I personally have an AP for DLR and just buy a ticket package with the tourists at WDW.
California has no sales tax on tickets, but Florida puts a sales tax on theme park tickets.
I think this may be the only time Sacramento politicians passed up on a chance to tax something! :lol:
1 Day-1 Park Ticket
Disneyland Resort - $80
WDW - $85 Before Tax, $90.53 Including Tax
3 Day Park-Hopper Ticket
Disneyland Resort - $214 (includes one Magic Morning)
WDW - $287 Before Tax, $305.66 Including Tax
Quite a difference!
I wonder where all that money goes at Disney World? Business costs are far lower in central Florida than they are in Southern California. Although, in defense of TDO, I can't be the only one who remembers back in the 80's when WDW tickets had the extra-cost "transportation pass" add-on for like $5 per day that alllowed you onto the "WDW Transportation System of Monorails, Buses, Ferries and Water Launches". They stopped charging extra for that internal transportation and folded it into the ticket price at some point in the late 20th century, I can't remember when exactly.
At Disneyland, transportation is not a big problem for TDA. They just have a dozen trams running from the parking structure, and the monorail is really just a ride in Tomorrowland or a quick way to get to the ESPNZone at Downtown Disney. The main entrance of the two Anaheim theme parks sit barely 100 yards from each other, and it's easy to stroll between the two parks in a couple of minutes.
lebeau
Well-Known Member
I understand where you're coming from. But I have to disagree.
The trip I am planning this fall is because my girls want to go. The youngest (currently 2) is in the throes of princess mania. Every day, she asks me when "the castle will be open". She really wants to hug the princesses like in the commercial (score one for Disney marketing).
With younger kids, I really think DLR would work out better for us than the sprawling complex that is WDW. I love the idea that everything would be within walking distance and there would be no need to cram strollers and kids into a packed Disney World bus.
But like I said before, unless air fare drops dramatically, DL just isn't in the cards this year. Airfare from CVG to LAX is in the $500 range. Multiply that by 4 and it makes for a $2,000 trip before we have taken in a single attraction. Heck, that doesn't even get us to Annaheim!
Flights to MCO are currently in the $300 range. But I expect they will drop as low as $200. And worst case sceneario is that we can drive.
Getting back to my original point, I think you're generalizing based on your own situation. We don't get down to WDW every year. So it's not simply a matter of putting off an annual trip in order to afford a more desirable one. We put off annual trips to be able to get to WDW every few years.
In my position, I can't tell my two year old that the castle won't open for another year or so because DL does a better job with maintenance. I mean, I could. But then my wife would kill me.
I'm sure you get the point. It's great you're championing DL. I'd love to go experience it myself. But there are legitimate reasons to stick with WDW for a lot of people. Unfortunately, I fit in that group.
(Btw, I have read quite a bit of your blog when considering DL as an option.)
TP2000
Well-Known Member
It's quite an interesting comparison to make, isn't it?! :wave:
Taking a trip on WDW's Pirates ride one day, and then riding Disneyland's Pirates a scant 24 hours later is an utterly fascinating experience of compare/contrast when it comes to Animatronic maintenance, sound and audio, special effects, overall spit n' polish, etc.
The same can be said for just about every major attraction that is found in both WDW and Disneyland. It's something that really fascinates me, and is now part of the fun of visiting both properties back-to-back.
You find it fun to compare maintenance problems at WDW compared to DL? That explains a lot.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Yes, it's the Disney Geek in me. :lol:
I like to do the same back-to-back comparison on my precious few trips to Tokyo Disneyland/DisneySea.
Wanna see something amazing that Tokyo Disneyland does far better than either Disneyland and Disney World? Watch this brief YouTube of a Tokyo Disneyland ride operator doing her thing for every single car at Snow White's Scary Adventures!
It's hilarious to watch, yet exactly the type of service you get in Tokyo but don't get in Anaheim or Orlando. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wY1fW3uMbE
Pioneer Hall
Well-Known Member
If I showed you a video of someone doing that in WDW, I would probably get told that person is guilty of canned happiness. That it would be better for them to put down the pixie dust instead of wishing people magical days and being over the top happy.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
My Japanese is rough right now, but her basic spiel for each and every car is roughly translated as "Hi Ho, welcome back from the mine! Your lap bar will raise automatically, watch your step!" Then she follows it up with various farewell sayings or a polite-casual bow depending on the reaction from the riders who are exiting in front of her.
She then checks each seat to make sure no one left anything behind, checks her track area and pushes the button that advances the empty car forward, then turns around and does it again as the next car comes in.
It's hilarious! And you are right that it would seem creepy to most Americans who are just used to a grunt or disinterested stare from service personnel here.
But it's one of those differences between the various Disney properties that I find infinitely fascinating to experience and compare.
Pioneer Hall
Well-Known Member
Not so much creepy as people would deem it to be fake and unimportant. I personally have no problem with it, but on these forums I hear so much about those dreadful WDW CM's. You know the ones that either don't care or are so over the top MAGICal that it must be fake. If this video was shot in WDW, it would likely be deemed a disgruntled CM who probably got yelled at by their manager and is now purposely over compensating. However, post a video of it from TDL and all of a sudden it is the gold standard in service and Disney quality.
wedway71
Well-Known Member
I was just watching a story on McDonalds on CNBC few nights back. They were talking about how they expanded into Asian markets such as China.
Just like the video posted about the female CM, there was clearly a service level difference between the McDonalds workers in Asia verses here.
Their uniforms were neatly pressed like in the military, and even the hamburger cook took pride in his job.
This is after I ate at my local McDonalds to get some sloppy kid with his hat on backwards and my order screwed up...as usual.
Just like the video posted about the female CM, there was clearly a service level difference between the McDonalds workers in Asia verses here.
Their uniforms were neatly pressed like in the military, and even the hamburger cook took pride in his job.
This is after I ate at my local McDonalds to get some sloppy kid with his hat on backwards and my order screwed up...as usual.
I think you hit the nail on the head. For some people, ANYTHING done at Tokyo is wonderful, and if that same thing were done at WDW, it would be pure evil.